Vaccinations are part of your cat’s annual well visit. The most important part of your cat’s yearly visit is not the vaccination, rather your cat’s physical examination. Once your cat’s overall health status is determined we will administer the vaccinations we feel are necessary to prevent illness. Vaccines are designed to prevent common bacterial and viral diseases common cats.

Vaccinations are a very important preventative measure you can take for the health of your cat. This form of protection helps provide the best quality of life for your cat and is less costly than treating your cat for serious illness that could have been prevented.

Kittens receive a series of vaccinations when young. As they grow and mature so does their immune system. By 4 months of age the series is complete and then they will return annually for a checkup and re-vaccination.

We select the type of vaccine needed based on your cat’s lifestyle, age and risk
for exposure. There are two general groups of vaccines to consider: core group
vaccines and non-core vaccines.

Core group vaccines protect against diseases that are more serious and more easily transmitted. For cats these include panleukopenia, calici virus and herpes virus, as well as rabies.

Non-core group vaccines are those reserved for patients with a specific risk
due to exposure or lifestyle. For cats these include feline leukemia virus,
feline pneumonitis and bordetella.

Cat and Kitten Vaccination Schedule

6 weeks

• Physical examination + consultation
• FeLV/FIV test, fecal exam and deworming
• Vaccinate against Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia (FVRCP)

9 weeks

• Physical examination + consultation
• Repeat FVRCP
• Start heartworm preventative

12 weeks

• Physical examination + consultation
• Repeat FVRCP
• Leukemia Vaccine
• heartworm preventative

16 weeks

• Physical examination + consultation
• FVRCP, Leukemia, Rabies
• heartworm preventative

20 weeks

• Neutering with pre-anesthetic testing

1 year

• Annual Comprehensive physical examination
• Adult vaccines (FVRCP, Leukemia, Rabies)
• heartworm preventative
• Dental Exam
• Annual stool examination

For cats we use one-year non-adjuvanted vaccines called Pure-Vax manufactured by Merial Labs. This type of vaccine is recommended for cats because it is significantly less likely to cause reactions when compared to adjuvanted vaccines. We feel it is the safest for the cat's unique immune system.